Tunnel upgrade work leads to lane closures

People who regularly use the Lyttelton tunnel are being advised to expect periodic night-time lane closures between now and the end of next year.

The Lyttelton Tunnel is undergoing a major safety upgrade.

The lane closures are needed to allow work to proceed on a $28.7 million upgrade of the tunnel’s fire protection system.

The NZ Transport Agency says for a few nights each month just one traffic lane in the tunnel will be open and on occasions both traffic lanes will need to be closed.

You can find details about when those lane closures will occur on the agency’s website.

The upgrade of Lyttelton tunnel’s fire protection system is the largest project undertaken at the tunnel since it opened more than 50 years ago. The upgrade will see the tunnel fitted with a fire deluge system designed to control and contain a fire until emergency services reach the scene.

Around 9km of pipe will be used for the deluge system, which is being installed in the exhaust and air duct corridors above the tunnel.

The work is being largely carried out at night and during the early hours of the morning to keep disruptions to tunnel users to a minimum.